Different placement equipment suppliers currently offer validation systems for their component placement equipments. These systems are designed to validate that the right component part number is used at the right feeder location for a given product to be produced. Most of these validation systems are not fully closed-loop and require some level of intervention by the operator, which can be the source for potential errors. For instance, these systems typically require the operators to make an association between receptacles holding the selected components, such as reels and trays, and the feeders they will be mounted on. Once the feeders are mounted in the machine, the feeder locations, or feeder slots, are read or detected and the validation process is implemented by linking the feeder slots to the feeders and indirectly to the receptacles and their components.
In PCT Publication No. WO 01/82009 published on Nov. 1, 2001 in the name of Cogiscan Inc., a line validation system is disclosed that provides the ability to validate that the right components are used at the correct location on a placement machine, but also provides a way to validate that the proper tooling, chemicals and programs are used on every machine on the assembly line. This system operates in ah open loop configuration. PCT Publication No. WO 01/82009 corresponds to United States Patent Application No. US 2003/0102367 that was published on Jun. 5, 2003 in the names of Monette ex al. and that is herein incorporated by reference.
In PCT Publication No. WO 04/70484 published on Aug. 19, 2004 also in the name of Cogiscan Inc., a feeder validation system is disclosed that automatically provides a feeder detection system for identifying the arrival and departure of a feeder from a feeder slot or location on a components placement machine. In the published system, an operator is required to make an association between the components reels and the feeders on which they will be mounted to implement the validation system.
Consequently, a closed-loop detection, identification and validation system is required to address the above and other drawbacks of the above systems. Namely, a closed-loop system is required to reduce operator interventions in the component and/or component receptacle identification and validation process, thereby reducing potential errors associated therewith.